


Maybe

by Thandra



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canonical Character Death, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Inspired by Music, M/M, RoyEd Month 2020, Slow Build, Songfic, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24043630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thandra/pseuds/Thandra
Summary: “I’m not asking you to, I don’t know, take me as your match or whatever” Ed says, raining his anger in “I’m just asking if you felt it, too. If it happened.” Roy takes a big, audible gulp and then - in a movement that Ed could swear sees in slow motion - nods. “Yes, Fullmetal”Day 4: Soulbond - or: a fine excuse to write a Soulmates AU.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 4
Kudos: 192
Collections: RoyEd month





	Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Fandom! Truth is: I’ve been in this fandom for almost a decade now, but mostly as a reader. Then the Royed Month happened, and I had a little time, and I couldn’t stop myself. This is not beta read, and way longer than I planned - well, I just hope you enjoy it! Let me know!
> 
> Also, the song is Maybe by James Arthur.

_I don't know what's going on_

_Where you came from and why you took so long_

_All I know is that I feel it_

_Like it's the realest thing, I mean it_

Edward never believed in soulmates, no matter how much people talked about it - he never understood the blind faith his mother put in his deadbeat father because of it, never understood Winry obsession with it, or Auntie Pinako’s lost gaze when the subject came up. 

_Soulbonds,_ whatever you may think about it, _don’t actually matter much._ All the science on the matter amounted to more or less one simple sentence: When you meet the right person, the person who’s soul matches yours perfectly, you’ll feel it. _Feel it:_ that’s not scientific at all. And match in what way? Romantically or what? Does sexuality matter? Mental compatibility? _Match how?_

So, the first time he met Roy Mustang - considering also the extreme circumstances of their first meeting and the emotional rollercoaster Ed had just stepped out of, at the time - he didn’t _feel_ much. Or, at least, he wasn’t emotionally stable enough to recognize it. Acknowledge it, think about it. He had more important things to do, way more important things. 

  
  


_Something changed when I saw you_

_Oh, my eyes can't lie_

_You said, "They're so damn blue_

_And I love how you're so forward_

_Is it too soon to say I'm falling?"_

Roy Mustang has always been fascinated by the concept of _soulmates,_ more in a philosophical way than a romantic one - how two people, that don’t know anything about one another, can simply _click,_ and suddenly know, without doubt, that they’re _it_ . The notion that one day, if he’s lucky enough, he’ll meet them; and they, in whatever form, will be just what he needs - _it’s fascinating. And comforting._

Then he was sent to the front, in the Ishvalan rebellion, and _soulbonds_ didn’t matter much anymore. Roy’s not even certain that he has a soul anymore, after everything he did; and he surely wouldn’t deserve a match - he’ll never burden anyone like that: no one deserves to be tied to a monster. 

He hadn’t thought about soulbonds in ages, the day he stepped foot in the little village of Resembool. He saw the little boy, _a literal boy,_ and it happened. _It clicked_ \- the boy, Edward Elric, is his soulmate. Even if Roy doesn't deserve it, even if he has no fucking clue what to do about it - it happened, he has a soulmate. Roy doesn't feel comforted at all. 

  
  


_So maybe_

_Maybe we were always meant to meet_

_Like this was somehow destiny_

_Like you already know_

_Your heart will never be broken by me_

Ed hears the key turn in the lock, he hears a couple of steps and the rustle of clothing - he gets up from the ridiculously comfy couch and steps out of the living room, leans against the doorpost with his arms crossed and waits. The Colonel senses his presence, finally, and goes incredibly still. It may be better to announce himself, before the Bastard does something stupid and torches them both. 

“Welcome home, Colonel Bastard” he says, voice in a weird monotone - anyone would tell you that Edward Elric is shit at hiding his emotions, and most of the time that is entirely true; but not tonight. Tonight he has something to do, something too serious to fuck up with anger outbrusts - _something that he doesn’t want to associate with emotions of any kind, in any measure._

“Fullmetal? What are you doing in my house?” The bastard looks confused for at least a whole second, a record; and then his expression smoots over, the mask falls so naturally it almost scares him - and angers him, a lot. He hates that, he hates all the fakeness and pretenses Roy masters. It’s a big part of _why_ he decided to do this, he needs the _truth_. 

“I’m honestly surprised you even know where I live” the Bastard goes on, stepping into his own house and going directly to the kitchen - Ed follows, silently. “But I guess I shouldn’t be. Not even about the fact that you eluded all the locks. Would you like some tea? I expect it will go well with the conversation, whatever needed this level of urgency must be really interesting. Or dreadful.”

“Mustang” Edward says, eyeing the knettle and the mugs, and all the fake nonchalance Roy seems desperate to display - Roy turns to him and Ed can see the seriousness in his eyes, the stony expression on his face. He huffs out, and sits down at the table: _it’s now or never._ “Do whatever, Bastard” he crosses his arms on his chest, holds Roy’s gaze “but sit down, we have to talk.”

Ed sees Mustang’s eyes widen, his mask falling for a fraction of a second, and then he turns around. The cold kitchen is empty and silent, all he can hear is the ticking of the old clock in the corner and the mugs clutter as Mustang serves them the goddamn tea. He sits down and looks straight into Ed’s eyes: _now or never. And never it’s not an option, apparently._

“Are we ever gonna acknowledge it?” Edward didn’t prepare a speech, or some kind of script - what he’s going to say it’s not the point: Mustang is. What he’s going to say, how he’s going to say it, and whatever he might be willing to disclose. Ed’s here for answers, he won’t bother about form. Not tonight. “Acknowledge what, exactly?-”

“Don’t” Edward interrupts him, lening a bit on the table, staring at the Colonel a bit closer “I’m not here for your bullshit, Mustang. I’m not here for well constructed lies, or barely true words, or any kind of empty promise” he goes on, as Mustang gets very still “I’m here for the truth, so save the bullshit.”

“Alright, Fullmetal” Mustang says, after a couple of calculated seconds and a deep breath. “Would acknowledge it do any good? To anyone? Do you have some kind of plan?” Roy asks, suddenly getting frantic - that’s new, Ed doesn’t remember ever seeing him thi bothered, this out of his element. “Do you want to face the implications? The romantic ones maybe? Given our age difference alone, it would be a bloodbath. Add the military hierarchy, the fraternization policy, our mutual history and our respective rather heavy past and-”

“Mustang” Ed interrupts again, making his best not to shout “I said no bullshit. Neither of us has the time, nor the will, to get into any of that. You know this, you know me - or you should, by now.” Mustang looks suddenly tired, his face a decade older, his eyes sad. “Then, pray tell, what exactly do you want, Edward?”

Edward leans forward, elbows on the table, and stares unflinchingly into Roy’s dark, sad eyes - _he needs this, even if he doesn’t want to._ “The truth, Mustang” he says, not looking away “the confirmation of what I know to be true.” the silence gets heavier still, almost impossibly - Ed feels the tension in the air, but none inside him: _no emotions tonight, just facts._

“Why?” Roy asks, even his voice hinted with sadness - and Ed gets it: this is fucked up. He’s a brat. He’s impulsive, and young, and too careless, and a wild card in the big picture of Roy’s ambition and the worst possible match for Roy. But it doesn’t matter, because that’s not what he’s asking. 

“I’m not asking you to, I don’t know, take me as _your match_ or whatever” Ed says, raining his anger in “I’m just asking if you felt it, too. If it happened.” Roy takes a big, audible gulp and then - in a movement that Ed could swear sees in slow motion - nods. “Yes, Fullmetal” he says, closing his eyes for a second “it happened, it’s true, we-”

Roy stops himself, swallows loudly again. _He’s so real right now_ . He’s uniform is a bit rumpled, his hair a bit shiny with sweat; he took the gloves off at some point, and his bare fingers are curled around the warm mug; his mouth is thin, his eyes sad, his whole face bare of any lies - _he’s so real, and this is also very real._

“We are soulbound” Roy manages to say - And Ed nods. _They acknowledged it, it’s the truth now, whatever good it could make._

_So is it crazy_

_For you to tell your friends to go on home?_

_So we can be here all alone_

_Fall in love tonight_

_And spend the rest of our lives as one_

He’s at his third glass, and no matter how many times Madam offers to call him a cab, he feels nowhere near ready to stop yet - _he can’t believe it happened, he simply can’t._ He had thought, for the longest time, that the silent agreement to never speak of it was _mutual._ He should have known, he should have known Fullmetal was going to simply - simply do whatever he wants, as usual. Edward does whatever the fuck he wants, _and Roy has to deal with the fall out -_ Typical, really. 

Roy is busy banging his head on the sticky, real wood counter when a familiar voice startles him. “Roy!” The booming cheeriness is too much, the palm on his back almost too heavy “what is my best friend doing, in the middle of a fine night, drinking himself under the table? Alone” 

_Maes_ , he should have known Madam was going to call him - Roy is glad for that, that there are still people that love him, after everything; but right now he doesn’t know if he can stand it. He knows that he needs it - he needs the love, and the support, and the understanding - but he doesn’t know if he has the strength to face _it._ To say it out loud and make it even more real, to tell someone and face it. 

“Should I ask why, instead?” Maes goes on, taking the empty sit beside him and leaning in; the tone of his voice warm, familiar, comforting. “Roy” he says, in a warm whisper “what happened?” Roy takes a deep breath, swallows down all the fears, and looks sideways at Maes, his forehead still on the cold wood. 

“Do you remember when I told you I found my soulbound?” he asks, struggling to find Maes eyes to focus on - the glasses don’t make it easy, in his defense. “No” Maes answers, making an effort to talk slowly “you told me you _thought_ you found your soulbound; so I told you that if you had _doubts_ , it wasn’t your _soulbound!”_ Maes pauses, raises an eyebrow “there weren’t any doubts, were there?”

Roy sighs, sounding desperate even to his ears, and shakes his head - he wants to cry, _why did Edward have to make him face this._ “Okay, you found your soulbound, years ago” Maes goes on, Roy keeps his eyes closed “what’s the problem? What got you like this?” Roy gathers all the courage he has left, breaths out all the fears, stands on the alcohol induced careless ness, and looks up at Maes. 

“It’s Edward,” Roy says, voice thin but clear. Maes’ eyes widen, shock overtakes him - not a common thing for the head of Amestris’ Intelligence, used to knowing secrets before anyone else does. Roy closes his eyes and waits, gives Maes all the time he needs to take in the news - Roy knows Maes sees the Elric boys almost like adopted sons, like young kids he has to protect: Roy can only be the big bad wolf, the perverted old man, in this version of the story. 

Maes is also a romantic, one of those people delighted by the notions of soulbonds and destiny and all that crap - Roy shivers, _this could end pretty badly._

“Well” Maes says, and Roy prepares himself for the sentence “it makes sense, in a way.” Roy’s head whips up so fast he almost hurts his neck - _what?_

“What?” he echoes, eyebrows up in his hair. “Come on” Maes says, patting his shoulder “If anyone could understand your, ehm, _not bright_ past, that would be Ed. And the same goes for you, actually. You both went to almost destructive experiences in a rather short amount of time, it makes sense that it would make your souls … compatible. Complementary?”

Roy stares at Maes, shakes his head, and bangs his head back on the counter - _damn it all, he’s not prepared for any of this._

_I should take your hand_

_And make you come with me_

_Away from all this noise and impurity_

_'Cause I feel like you're too perfect_

_And I don't mean just on the surface_

“-only a little percentage of soulbonds are romantic, anyway. Or, I guess most of them have the potential to be romantic? Like, Havoc and Breda: that could be romantic, right? If they felt so inclined. But they don’t, so the problem doesn’t stand? And then the timing! Winry was never going to go to Rush Valley if we didn’t-”

“Brother” Al interrupts him - ed may or may not have been rambling, for a while now “not that I’m not enjoying the change from alchemy rambling, to other subjects but, if I may ask” he takes a pause, and looks right into Ed’s eyes “what brought this on?”

 _Ah, well -_ Ed had never planned to keep it a secret, not from Al anyway. But even after _the talk_ with the Bastard, especially after it even, he never felt the compulsion to tell someone: there’s nothing to do, nothing to talk about; so why do it? He cleared it up with the only other person this thing concerned, anyway. There was no reason to waste time talking about it; but still, lying to his brother has never really been an option. 

“I found my Soulbound” the silence that follows is deafening; not surprising, but still way too damning. “Okay” Al says, after a while “I have so many questions.” Al looks meaningfully at him, probably hoping that he’ll spill already; but Ed - _can’t?_ This whole situation has been too fucked up right from the start, and he got so used to ignoring it that now it’s too _weird._ Way too weird to be put into words, way too complicated to figure out. _And yet._

“It happened a long time ago, and I wasn’t even sure about it at the time” he takes a deep breath, looks away from the expressionless armor his brother inhabits “I was too fucked up already, out of it - Mustang barely factored in. You were there, you remember the day.” The silence is even heavier now, but this time Ed can’t stop talking. 

“I didn’t believe it for the longest time, but then the more I saw him the more I-” he hears his voice break, and his cheeks flush in anger because of it “ _felt it._ The fucking bond. So I couldn’t ignore it anymore, not comfortable, so I asked the Bastard and he confirmed it. We kind of agreed that, well: there was nothing to do about it, but it existed? And then Mr. Hughes-”

 _Ah, so this is what’s happening -_ When the Bastard decided not to tell him what happened to Hughes he had been angry, fucking furious; but then the anger passed and the sadness took onver. Hughes was a good man, and Ed may have not known him for long or so well but he knew that. He was Mustang’s best friend, and if Ed was sad Roy must be - _destroyed, inconsolable._ And Ed doesn’t know what to do about it. 

“I’m his soulbound, right? I should know what to do, how to help him; but instead- I have no Idea. I don’t even know if I should do something, if there’s something I could do, if he wants me to try even.” Ed’s head is suddenly spinning, his vision getting blurry - he can’t cry. This might be frustrating, but it’s not something to cry over. 

“Brother” Al says, voice as soft and careful as he can make it “I think that, well, you’re Soulbound. You are already, just how you are, exactly what Colonel Mustang needs: you don’t need to overthink it, Bother. You just need to be- well, you.”

Edward looks up at the armor, at his brother, and the guilt overcomes him - _the other reason he didn’t tell Al everything immediately, the main one, is the guilt that comes with it:_ They don’t know if Alphonse can feel the bond, now. Since it’s a connection of souls, he should; but there’s no records of this happening - except the guys at Lab 5, but he can’t ask them anymore - and they simply have no way to know. The possibility that kind, lovely Alphonse may have met his match, his destiny already and he wouldn’t have felt it - it broke Edward, it breaks him a little bit every time he thinks about it. 

“I hope you’re right” he says, reining in the tears threatening to spill “I really hope you’re right, Al.” Edward keeps walking beside Al, the clang on metal keeping him company - he’s barely good enough as a brother, he really doesn’t think he’ll ever be good as anyone’s _match_ . _Let alone Mustang’s._

_So don't be scared, I am too_

_'Cause this chemistry between me and you_

_Is too much to just ignore it_

_So I'll admit that now, I've falling_

Roy understands, really understands why all of this happened in the first place, after the Promised Day comes and goes. Roy has been blind for days, and if nothing else, he had some time to think - about his country and the future, his team and their faith, and then about maes Hughes and Edward Elric. 

Edward stopped him. In the lowest moment of his existence, when vegerance was the only thing he could think of, Edward stopped him. He breached into the wall of rage and grief he built around himself and let the light in - he stopped him. He stopped him, and saved him, and Roy has no idea how to repay him back. 

Now everything’s over, Father destroyed and Roy is blind - at least for the time being, in Dr. Marcoh’s opinion. And Roy has only Edward to thank for that, for all of it: from beating Father to saving his soul. It should not come as a surprise that his Soulbound saved his soul, but it does. And, for once, Roy knows exactly what he has to do.

“Lieutenant? Is Alphonse Elric still in the City?” Riza’s answer is immediate, voice hinted with a bit of surprise. “Yes, Sir” she says “two rooms over, actually. His condition doesn’t make it possible for him to move, at the moment; but he’s otherwise well and healthy.”

“Would it be a problem to visit him, you think?” Riza waits a second before answering, Roy can just picture the confused arch of her eyebrows. “I don’t think it would be, Sir.” Roy smiles slowly, looking up where he thinks Riza is and “right now?” he asks. 

Riza takes even more time to answer, no doubt trying to figure him out - not that she can: Roy himself has no idea what he’s doing, or why. “All right” she says, as Roy puts his feet on the solid ground “let’s go, Sir.” Riza puts his hand on her shoulder, and walks slowly with Roy. They stop after just a dozen of steps, and he hears two knocks on the door. 

“Come in!” a voice answers, but it’s not Alphonse’s - Roy’s smile gets wider. “Fullmetal!” he says, as soon as they step in “I’d like to say I see you’re doing well; but, sadly, I can’t.” Roy waits a second, and then an unfamiliar laugh fills the air - it’s familiar, just different without the metallic echo. “Oh, Alphonse” he says, and he doesn’t even try to hide the emotion his eyes must be showing - or not? He has no idea what his eyes look like now “seeing you right now would be quite a marvel.”

“Thank you, Colo- I don’t quite know what’s the title now?” _A right marvel_ , that voice is - a miracle, performed by the infinite love of a brother, the greater sacrifice. Roy wonders how he’s missed it before: Ed just sacrificed the center of him, the gravitational point of his identity, for his brother - _just how you sacrificed your life for the greater good of the country, eh?_ He hears Maes’ voice say. 

“General, I think” Roy says, as Riza accompanies him to what he thinks is a chair “I can’t exactly be sure of what I signed, but the Lieutenant can verify it for you.” The delightful laugh follows, and then so does a loud snort. “Fullmetall!” he says, trying to angle his face to the origin of the sound “I almost forgot you were there! This level of quietness is quite uncommon, are you all right?”

Roy has been smiling tirelessly for the whole conversation, his cheeks are starting to hurt - but hearing Edward’s answering grunt only makes him smile wider, he can’t seem to stop. “Shut up, Bastard, I’m enjoying this.” 

“Are you?” he asks immediately, showing way less restraint than usual. “Yes, Bastard, I am.” he says in a huff, and Roy can picture him putting his feet somewhere, sprawling on the chair “shouldn’t you be back to the seeing world by now? Dr. Marcoh said you agreed to the treatment.”

“Ah, yes” Roy says, feeling the creeping uncertainty rise up on the back of his neck “Lieutenant Havoc had precedence, I think.” Edward hums, and Roy dispeirs in the lack of visual - Edward has always been incredibly expressing: Roy would pay gold to know what his reaction has been. 

“Good” Ed says, just when Roy had resigned himself to the general confusion and awkwardness of the situation “but be on that list, you can’t lead a country _blindly._ ”

Roy blinks, and then he can’t stop his own laugh - Alphonse’s follows, as much of a miracle as the prior; and even Riza lets a quiet snort out. _This is good,_ Roy thinks, _this is exactly where I should be._

_So maybe_

_Maybe we were always meant to meet_

_Like this was somehow destiny_

_Like you already know_

_Your heart will never be broken by me_

Edward Elric steps out of the train, in the middle of a busy day, at Central Station after more than a year - stations, he discovered, never change. They’re always loud, always full of people, and always way too busy; nobody paid him any attention when he was a twelve years old walking beside a suit of armor, and nobody pays him any attention now, and almost twenty years old walking in uneven steps. Alone. 

He has no idea why he is in Central. Alphonse is okay and well, headed for the Eternal Capital of Xing; Winry went back to Rush Valley, to open shop there for real this time; and Ed hopped on a train headed West. But then he passed all the old stops, all the little stations, and all he could think about was Central. 

The City lights, the green parks, and the cars everywhere. Central Command, Captain Hawkeye and the rest of the team, _General Roy Mustang_ . After the Bastard started their tentative _friendship_ back then, in the hospital after the promised day, Ed had thought it was a guilt thing - a whim, something that would go away as soon as the Bastard got busier. But it didn’t. 

The year Ed had spent in Resembool, getting some meat on Al’s bones and enough muscle mass for him to be able to spar again, he received a number of letters from Mustang - and sent an almost equal number back. A friendly correspondence of sorts, gossiping about the team and talking about Alphonse progress. Nothing too important, really; just - _friendly correspondence._

The _tentative friendship_ may or may not have something to do with his impromptu stop at Central; but Ed wasn’t going to admit that out loud, ever. 

Edward walks the street of Central with his hands in his pockets and with a weird sense of peace in the heart: the statue of King Bradly has been removed from the park, replaced by a fountain - it’s People’s Park now; a number of cafes opened in the main street and the trade deal with Xing transformed the one of the back alleys in Xing Street; there’s no soldiers on the streets, no blue uniforms, just civilians, going on with their lives. Central City changed, for the better. 

He gets to Central Command and steps in without even glancing at the guard at the door, looking up at the unchanged white ceiling. “Sir! You can’t pass here! It’s Military personnel only!” The guard shouts, and Ed’s hand goes to his pocket watch instinctively - before he remembers he doesn’t have it anymore, that he handed it in with his resignation. _Right._

“Ah, yes,” he says, turning to the guard. He’s young, maybe just a couple of years older than Ed, and he probably enlisted after the Promised Day or he would remember him. “Sorry, sorry” he says, leaning over the high desk on the guard post “I didn’t leave that long ago, I forgot I don’t have the clearance to go in anymore” he snorts out loud, shaking his head “could you call inside for me, maybe? General Mustang’s office? Or Hawkeye’s desk directly? They’re not expecting me”

“But of course, Sir!” The boy even snaps a salute - he has a brilliant frown on, probably because he’s never seen veterans this young; but he still salutes respectfully, Ed can tell he’s a good kid. 

“Who am I calling for, Sir?” he asks, phone already up. “Edward Elric” he says, and the boy freezes. 

He gets really red in the face, looks up at Ed, and then gets white as a sheet and does the impression on a gaping fish - Ed’s almost worried for the kid, that’s a lot to go through in a mare second. “Ed-Edward Elric? Th-The Fullmetal Alchemist?” he’s stuttering, and still really pale “The Hero of Amestris!” he shouts at the end, snapping into a perfect salute and even clicking his heels. 

Edward would laugh, but he feels that would be a tad bit too cruel. “Hey, hey, soldier, at ease!” he says, not managing to hide a smile. “Sir! I’m extremely sorry! Please go ahead!” he says, bowing his head a million times - Ed fears for his neck, for his blood stream, and also for a possible heart attack at this point. Ed’s a little shit, so he was just going to remind the kid to make the call so he can go up; but a familiar voice interrupts him. 

“Edward!” Mustang says - he’s walking calmly towards him, with a soft smile on his face “What are you doing here? Weren’t you headed west?” Ed smiles at him - he sees the private go even more pale in the corner of his eye: The Fullmetal Alchemist and The Flame Alchemist both in front of him, Ed guesses he’s going to pass out any minute. 

“What? Aren’t you happy to see me?” he says, glancing subtly at the soldier in the corner. Roy follows his eyes, and smirks. “Of course I am!” he says, putting a hand on Ed’s shoulder “but next time you can just come up, you know? No reason to wait out here, really.”

Ed snorts, shakes his head; and the kid, predictably, faints. Edward laughs, loud and unashamed, and Roy follows, a bit quieter. “You know, Edward” he says, after the laughter dies out a bit “I never use the main entrance, but from now on I’ll may have to. I never knew you were this sadistic!”

Edward laughs, shakes his head as he starts walking towards the main street, Mustang beside him. “He’s a good kid” he says, glancing at the kid fanning himself with a hand from afar “it was just also to fun not to fuck with.” Roy laughs again, and Edward can’t stop the wide smile stretching his face. 

They get coffee that day, talk for hours. Ed spends the night in the City and the next day with the team, he makes plans for the following day. Days become weeks, and weeks months and Ed doesn’t leave. He stays, and his _tentative friendship_ with Roy evolves, until there’s nothing _tentative_ about it - Ed doesn’t discover the West, he discovers Roy Mustang: the man, the friend, his _soulbound_. 

_He discovers that he may or may not like Roy Mustang. A lot._

_Oh, is it too crazy_

_For you to tell your brothers about me?_

_They told me they'll protect you_

_But I'll look them in the eye_

_Tell them you and I will be as one_

_Only a little percentage of bonds are romantic,_ Roy knows this well. Of all the bonded Roy met, he can actually remember just one _romantic_ \- Maes and Gracia, the fairytale bond in real life; or it has been for as long as Maes has been alive anyway. All the others are about friendship, mostly - like Riza and Rebecca Catalina - or even parental, between family members - Like the Armstrong siblings, so different to be complementary. So Roy has no idea why, after everything he accomplished so far with Edward, after how much better their relationship became lately, _he still wants more._

They’re in his living room, half drunk, lazing and arguing alchemy in front of the fireplace - Edward may have lost the ability to transmute, but he surely didn’t lose his knowledge, his curiosity, his sheer talent for the subject. 

“Come on, Mustang! You can’t be serious about this! The base for alchemy is simple science, a good chemistry book!” Ed’s voice is still clear, not even a bit slurred; but his eyes are shiny like molten gold and his cheeks are slightly tinted in pink. He’s got a while shirt on, unbuttoned almost to his chest, and with the sleeves rolled past his elbow - _he’s a vision_ , so beautiful and so passionate; moving his hands while talking, sprawled on Roy’s couch. 

Edward, inevitably and silently, grew up. His shoulders got even wider, he got taller, his jaw squared even more - Roy can see the shadow of a bear there, sometimes; he can make out the odd hair on his chin, mostly on weekends. Edward grew up, became a very attractive young man, and suddenly Roy found himself facing something he hadn’t anticipated: attraction. 

The warm feeling of arousal, starting in the fit of his stomach, getting lit every time he saw Edward. Edward - his soulbound, his friend, his ex subordinate. Bonds can very well be platonic, and Roy knows he should be grateful to have Edward in whatever shape or form he chooses, but damn _he wants._

“If you don’t have the basics, the fucking basics! In your mind, always, then why are you even trying?” Edward grunts, leans toward him to get to the coffee table - he takes his own glass just to find it empty, and leans over even further to take Roy’s, without asking. _He doesn’t need to,_ Roy thinks, _he can have everything he wants. Everything that is mine, it’s his._

“What?” one blond eyebrow arched, liquid gold eyes serious, pink lips pursed in a frown - Oh Lord, Roy was staring. He’s screwed. He tries to speak, but his mouth doesn’t want to cooperate; his body moves, though, getting closer to Edward on his own. 

“ _What?”_ the blond asks again, but Mustang barely hears it - He sees the pink lips move around the words, his gaze fixed on them. His hand goes to the squared jaw, he feels the slight scratch of barely born hairs. Roy isn’t thinking at all, he’s just moving - closer, and closer still; until his lips touch Edward’s and he closes his eyes to savour the moment. 

He hears a sound, a surprised gasp - _Edward’s surprised gasp,_ and suddenly Roy remembers. Who he is, where he is, who the hell he is kissing - without asking! He jumps back, taking his treacherous hands with him. “I’m sorry” he says, eyes closed “I’m so sorry, Edward. I should have asked, I don’t know what took over me, I-”

“Roy?” Ed’s voice is - _not angry?_ That’s a surprise. An unexpected miracle Roy’s not going to waste. He opens his eyes and looks up, ready to lay himself for the blonde’s judgment: anything for forgiveness, he’ll beg if he has to - but Edward’s _blushing?_ His eyes are uncertain, looking at Roy’s face and then down almost rhythmically; he’s biting his bottom lip, his hands clenching on the pillow in his laps. 

Roy doesn’t want to presume but that reaction can only mean a few things: or he’s trembling with the restrained need to punch the light out of Roy or - and that’s his greatest hope, and his sole salvation - _he liked the kiss_ . And if he liked the kiss, that could mean that he likes Roy? _Romantically?! -_ Roy really hopes he’s not reading too much into this. 

“You like-” he starts, bites his tongue and wonders where all his oratorical ability has gone all of a sudden. “May I kiss you?” he asks, suddenly feeling a weird heat tint his own cheeks too. 

“Only” Ed says, after taking a deep breath “Only if you’re, like - damn it, Roy, you bastard - only if you’re serious about this. This, _us_ .” _But of course -_ is on the tip of his tongue, but he can guess that with the way embarrassment is mixing with frustration on Ed’s face, he won’t like the quickness of his answer. So Roy takes a deep breath, and takes the leap - _it makes sense,_ had said Maes; _maybe this will make sense too._

“I know that we don’t have to be-” Roy starts, before he stops to actually think about it and and backs out “romantically involved. I’m actually surprised, and immensely glad, that we’re - _friends?_ What we have right now, _this_ , is already so much more than I thought I’d get, after everything. So we don’t have to get further, I’ll be perfectly content to have this with you, just this, for however long you’ll let me.” he closes his eyes, trying to gather up all the courage he can menage “But I can’t deny that, if you’d give it a chance, I’d like to try it. Us, I mean. Romantically.”

Roy opens his eyes slowly, ready to face rejection - it was not the best speech he ever gave, not even the most acute; but it’s undoubtedly the most sincere, and Roy can’t help being a little proud of himself. _He wants this, with Ed; even if he’s not sure he deserves it._

His eyes open, and Ed is close. Closer than he was before, so close Roy could count his stunning eyelashes one by one.

“Bastard” he whispers, his breath on Roy’s lips “give me your worst.” And then he’s kissing him. With teeth and tongue, all passionate and aggressive; in a way that it’s distinctly Edward, and Roy almost weeps. Edward is on hom, straddling him, and he is warm and gold and simply _perfect_ . _They’re perfect, they fit -_ Roy shouldn’t be surprised, but he is. Surprised, and amused, and comforted, and happy _\- they might just be perfect for each other, after all._

_You and I, you and I as one_

_You and I as one_

_You and I, you and I will be as one_

_Oh darling, you and I will be as one_

Edward has never given much importance to _Soulbonds_ , he barely believed they existed. Then he met Roy Mustang, and spent almost a decade denying the bond with vehemence - he should have known that it would be useless. 

Soulbonds, after all, are based on something unscientific and irrational; something you can’t really understand, let alone control: _feelings._ And you can lie about them, even to yourself; but you can’t stop them. So, Edward stopped trying. 

“Roy” he whines, hitting the alarm with a lucky hit “if that fucking thing wakes me up one more time, I swear it’s getting up your ass.” he rolls around, ready to bite Roy’s distactingly gorgeous shoulder, only to find his spot empy and already cold. 

“Forgive me, darling” Roy says, from the bathroom he thinks “I forgot to set off the last one.” his voice is closer now, and Ed feels his lips on the crown of his head. He opens his eyes. “Good morning, sunshine” the bastard says, smirking down at him. Ed doesn the only logical thing to do: he grabs the back of the Bastard’s head and plants a bruising kiss to his lips, bites and licks the bottom one and hooks his tongue behind his teeth, until Roy moans in his mouth.

“Don’t think you can get away with all those fucking pet names” he says, still breathing on Roy’s wet lips “just because you’re getting a promotion, today.” Roy’s smile is so bright Ed’s almost blinded by it, probably matching the one on his face - _Match, aha! They do match, all right._

“And here I thought you would have liked it” he says, his smile turning in a devious smirk “getting fucked by the Fuhrer. Tonight.” Ed bites his lip again, sucks on it in a powerfully meaningful way. “If the Fuhrer's lucky” he says, staring into Roy’s onyx eyes “his _soulbound_ will gradly fuck him into the mattress. Tonight. Hard.” 

Roy shivers all over, moans in a quick kiss, and then laughs - _Ed feels it, the pull and the warmth and the completeness of it._ Ed feels it, and he’s done denying it: _this is right, this is perfect, and Ed loves it._ The universe has never done him any favors, except one: in the form of Roy Mustang, and love, and happiness. In the form of his _Soulbound_. 

_All I know is that I feel it_

_Like it's the realest thing, I mean it_


End file.
